About St. Croix, VI

Sometimes, no matter what you have accomplished, no matter what you do....life gives you lemons...and I have always loved lemonade, but what happens when you're given the whole darn tree! So, I am thinking about warm, Caribbean beaches, beautiful sunsets and good friends.

Cane Bay, for such a well-known beach, the crowds just amazed us!

Whenever I get tired of cold and snowy days, I look at photos taken from my visits to St. Croix, USVI. The following photo is of the Botanic Gardens. We visited on a weekday and saw only 2 other people the entire time we were on the lush grounds of this amazing facility. Unlike St. Thomas and St. John that are filled with tourists, St. Croix maintains a lovely, Caribbean lifestyle....steady and slow, but filled with incredible views, scrumptious smells and incredible hospitality.

I received this press release today, checked out the site, and definitely place it on the top of the list for recommended sites for VI visitors. Easy URL: VisitUSVI.com - take a look.

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM UNVEILS NEW TOURISM WEB SITE

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism will unveil its brand new Web site, VisitUSVI.com, at a special event at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa tonight. "Throughout the 18-month journey from research to site launch, we worked very closely with industry partners and community leaders to gain their insights and feedback about desired features for the new site," says Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty. "We are excited to finally unveil the Web site to our local community and introduce these new features, including site navigation which links our prospective visitors directly to our hotel and tourism partners."

A key strategy for the new site has focused on educating potential visitors about USVI offerings, and various navigation and design elements serve to meet this goal. Prospective visitors using the new web site enjoy functionality, allowing them to create trip planners and outline customized itineraries, featuring the Territory's various tourism entities. Additionally, a new interactive map listing points of interest for St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas entices visitors to get a deeper look at what the USVI has to offer.

Easy site navigation allows visitors to "hop" between island pages, exemplifying how easy it is to actually hop between the islands of the USVI. This style of navigation allows side-by-side comparison of each island's distinct personality and offerings.

Today's launch will outline the first of three phases of the new site, representing a $250,000 investment by the DOT. These funds were earmarked within an existing advertising contract with agency-of-record JWT, out of Atlanta, as JWT's sister agency Studiocom executed the site design and programming. Coming in a later phase and a direct response to focus group and other on-island feedback, VisitUSVI.com will feature a landing page devoted solely to the destination's packages and promotions, which will serve as a resource where offers for travel to the destination can be found. The remaining phases are scheduled to be completed by January 2010, when a booking engine will be added to the site.

As part of the site creation and research, a series of on-island focus groups representing niche segments including accommodations, culture and heritage, retail, dive, water sports, romance and meetings/incentive were conducted, and feedback stemming from these meetings has been incorporated into the new site. The unveiling of the new Web site is an integrated segment of the DOT's overall rebranding efforts for the destination, which kicked off in December with the introduction of the new Mocko Jumbie logo.

For more information about the United States Virgin Islands, go to VisitUSVI.com. When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel ? including on-line check-in, making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport from U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens.

Be sure and take a look at this new site - the presentation is of the highest quality and reflects the brilliant colors found here in the Virgin Islands. There is no real estate tab, so when you have finished eyeballing all the things to do and see, contact me for your real estate needs.

Kim Lucas, REALTOR
kim@coldwellbankervi.com
www.kimlucasvi.com
www.retiretothevi.com
340-626-3758

I was strolling along the waterfront last Friday night with a friend. The water was gently lapping the shore. Music from a local restaurant was playing. The Royal Palms were towering over us. The weather was a perfect 80 degrees and a breeze was slightly blowing. There was no one but us enjoying this scene. We felt like we were in a movie, and we both agreed that this place is just pure magic. It is heaven. And it is so completely undiscovered. We agreed that part of us is VERY happy about that - but as a realtor, I have to hope others find and enjoy St. Croix as I do.

Here's a good viewpoint from Virgin Islands Tourism Information: "St. Croix's rich culture and history, along with its beautiful beaches and world-class recreational activities, create an experience unlike any other in the Caribbean. Since the day Christopher Columbus first arrived at Salt River on St. Croix more than 500 years ago, sugar and rum have shaped the island's life and land. Fifty-four sugar mills, each with imposing windmill towers and factory chimneys, still rest in the shadows of stately eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century homes. Located on the west end of the island, Estate Whim Plantation is just one example of these 'greathouses.' With acres of rolling green hills, St.Croix's plantation estates also bore crops of okra, cabbage, corn, and other vegetables still prominent in Caribbean cuisine.

As the sugar industry declined after the 1960s, tourism became the most important industry on the island. Christiansted and Frederiksted, the two main towns of St. Croix, flourished as commercial ports during the eighteenth century and nineteenth century. Distinct architecture reflects the seven flags--Spanish, Dutch, British, French, Knights of Malta, Danish, and American -- that have flown over the island."

There is history, diverse geology, a wonderful mix of cultures, all on our small island. And the best part - with the economic downturn worldwide, prices are low and you can find some great values in both land and residential.

Contact me to discuss your opportunities.

Kim Lucas, REALTOR
kim@coldwellbankervi.com
www.retireinthevi.com
www.kimlucasvi.com
340-626-3758